NOVEL NEXT chapter 34
part 34
* * *
[Saint Kras Terminal]
The train station, crafted from the byproducts of crystal golems, resembled a piece of glass artistry.
Yet, it wasn’t a choice made merely for beauty. The crystals harvested from the golems boasted a hardness surpassing that of steel.
“Is this the heart of transportation?”
The terminal, into which such a hefty sum had been invested, truly deserved its nickname, ‘the heart of transportation.’
The sight of over a thousand people moving towards their respective destinations was a spectacle to behold.
Click.
As Jian pressed the call button, it wasn’t long before the other party picked up.
– Who might this be? The model student who saved the magic tower, right?
“Your voice sounds pleasant.”
– Of course. Thanks to our model student, I even appeared on a current affairs program. Didn’t you see it?
“I did.”
– Oh, then surely you’re calling about joining the guild? For a talent who outsmarted Desire, we could even offer a bonus.
The person on the other end was Bluema, the guild leader of the Broom of Annihilation.
“Unfortunately, not today.”
Jian responded playfully to Bluema’s teasing tone.
“Have you not forgotten our contract?”
– Clause number three? I’ll have to hear your terms first.
“I’d like to clean the crystal cave that the Broom of Annihilation is managing.”
– Hmm, well, there’s no government subsidy for that place, so it’s not scheduled for purification.
In other words, they couldn’t pay for the cleaning. The crystal cave was a place far removed from the city center, nestled deep in the mountains, a place the government felt no need to clean. Of course, Jian’s purpose wasn’t cleaning either.
“The intent is merely for an inspection, so no compensation is necessary.”
– To insist on touring such a remote dungeon. You really are an odd one, aren’t you? If I grant this favor, will you join our guild?
“That’s the second time I’ve declined.”
– So resolute? Everyone else is clamoring to get in. Tsk.
Bluema clicked his tongue as if it were a pity.
[The train to Barsa is now approaching]
Checking the display, Jian asked Bluema one last time.
“So, do I have permission to enter the crystal cave?”
Bluema, sensing something persistent in Jian’s question, felt a strange hunch.
– Hmm…….
A low-level dungeon with a danger rating of Grade 2. Even before it became a dungeon, the Crystal Cave was a place devoid of people. Because of this, Bluema couldn’t shake off the question, ‘Why exactly?’
– The Crystal Cave…
Bluema’s voice trailed off.
‘Quite the tormentor.’
Gien’s eyes narrowed. Just as Bluema thought, Gien had a desperate reason to enter the Crystal Cave.
‘Phael.’
Phael Elquines.
A man with beautiful water-colored hair, who was a colleague and a friend in a past life.
In the Crystal Cave lies a reward that Gien and Phael buried 100 years ago. A reward from a Grade 6 gate.
– But there’s a very minor condition. To prevent accidents, a guide must be attached. That’s okay, right? Come to the guild. Everything from the portal to the guide will be prepared.
“Don’t worry.”
Sure enough, the train to Barsa, known as the Broom of Annihilation, arrived at the station.
“It won’t take long. I knew you would permit it.”
With those brazen words, Gien boarded the train.
* * *
The Broom of Annihilation was packed with people, no room to step. Irele struggled through the crowd.
“Chick! Over here, here!”
“Chick…”
“Haha. I knew we’d see each other again soon!”
Irele, who ran over as if delighted, quickly grabbed Gien’s hand and shook it up and down.
“I heard from the guild master that you’re touring the Crystal Cave?”
“The guide couldn’t possibly be?”
“Yep, it’s me.”
Irele straightened her back proudly and stepped closer, causing Gien to take a step back.
“I heard you were quite busy, but you can still take on a tour guide role?”
Gien had heard that Irele, despite being in her early twenties, held a significant position in the guild. The faint level 4 mana he sensed from her seemed to confirm it.
“No, not busy~ I often take on guide roles.”
It was unlikely for someone of Irele’s stature to serve as a guide. The logical conclusion, given that Bluema had personally requested it, was only one.
‘A surveillance role?’
Clearly, Bluema had sent her because of the interest due to her unexpectedness, not out of malice.
“It doesn’t matter. The crystal cave is anyway…”
Despite the tense whirl of thoughts, Jian calmly smiled.
“Please take care of me.”
“I’ll count on you too. All portals are set up. It’s quite noisy with so many people around, isn’t it? All this commotion over one student.”
‘A student?’
As Jian’s gaze shifted towards the crowd, people parted to each side, and a student walked through.
A female student in the uniform of Celia Academy. Jian recognized her at first glance as the renowned ‘Genius of Celia,’ despite never having seen her face before.
“What do you think is the reason you were chosen as the official heir of the family?”
“Do you have any guilds in mind you’d like to join after graduation?”
“Who do you consider your biggest rival in the upcoming off-campus event?”
Amidst the persistent barrage of questions, the female student stood still.
“The reason I became the heir is simple.”
Rare black hair and blue eyes.
A calm demeanor beyond her years.
She was a beauty worth a second glance, but her aura was notably cold and fierce.
“Because I am the strongest in the family. And the most formidable opponent is…”
Her voice was clear and melodious.
The genius of Celia turned her head sharply, and at the end of her gaze was Jian.
“Jian Rusell.”
After returning her gaze to the exit, the genius of Celia spoke in a subdued voice.
“The off-campus event is a direct confrontation between Arcana and Celia.”
Click-clack.
The female student walked away from the crowd. Only after locking eyes did Jian realize why he had been captivated by her, the sense of dissonance.
‘She looked familiar.’
* * *
While activating the portal, Irel casually asked Jian.
“Lucia picked first. You’re quite popular, aren’t you?”
“Seems I’m quite famous, huh?”
“Don’t you know the Emperor of Celia? Besides, that girl is from a heroic family.”
“The hero’s lineage?”
The grand title of Emperor also piqued his interest, but it was the phrase “hero’s lineage” that Jian could not simply let pass.
“Lucia… What was that student’s last name again?”
As Jian asked with a face full of curiosity, Irel, having finished operating the portal, approached with quick steps and said,
“You really didn’t know, huh.”
[Location – Crystal Cave]
Above the portal, the destination’s name appeared. Passing through this translucent ellipse would change the scenery from the guild to the cave. Irel, with hands directed towards the portal, playfully guided Jian.
“Elquines. Lucia Elquines. How about it, has your curiosity been satisfied? Shall we depart?”
Hair as dark as Sina’s.
Eyes as blue as Pale’s.
Overwhelmed by the incredible fate, Jian let out a short laugh.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
* * *
The reason Sabers clear gates is to avoid penalties. If they don’t clear a gate or fail to do so, they face certain penalties.
There are three main penalties.
Mana Surge.
Devastation.
Materialization.
The first, Mana Surge, refers to the phenomenon where the gate’s mana goes berserk, causing disasters. Tsunamis, storms, blizzards, earthquakes—the abnormal mana spewing from the gate causes various natural disasters.
The second, Devastation, turns a certain scale of land into an uninhabitable area depending on the gate’s difficulty.
And the last penalty is Materialization. Like Mount Ebeus, the Crystal Cave underwent materialization 50 years ago.
‘Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.’
Jian surveyed the interior of the Crystal Cave. Bat monsters shooting red glares among the beautiful crystal pillars.
‘Thanks to those monsters, the [Seed] has remained undiscovered for a hundred years.’
“It’s all easy, but still, it’s creepy, isn’t it? Cold too…”
Using the cave’s chill as an excuse, Irel clung to Jian’s arm. Irel might have been cold in her short sleeves, but that was when she was an ordinary person. Jian pushed Irel away and said,
“Well, with that much mana, you could probably sleep on an ice rink.”
“Oh, dear. No mood at all because you’re young. Really.”
Irel slipped a coin between her fingers and, with an expressionless face, flicked it behind her.
Whoosh! Click!
Behind her, a spider the size of 1 meter had its head pierced by a coin.
“The push around the fortress has been impressive, hasn’t it? Arcana is so reluctant to disclose information. They even came to our side asking about your info.”
As Yrel said, recently, there have been many looking for Zien. Selfis, wanting to impress Yuvel, would often use teatime as an excuse to inquire about Isabel, and Kashen and Romina brought various things to eat from the suburbs. Not to mention the onslaught from the guilds, including the Broom of Extermination…
“More importantly, is the student Lucia that famous?”
“Well, she’s incredibly strong. Not as much as me, though.”
Yrel once again split the head of a salamander as thick as an arm with a coin.
Swoosh! Crunch!
“And she has quite a pretty face too. Of course, not as much as mine.”
Zien admired Yrel’s skill. Even as she continued speaking with a sly expression, Yrel nonchalantly dispatched the monsters within her radius.
“Besides, is the Elquines family just any family?”
At the mention of ‘Elquines,’ Zien flinched. Trying his best not to show it, he asked again.
“What kind of family is it?”
He wondered how his descendants were being treated by his comrades.
“What kind of family? Among the ancestors, there are two 7th-grade Sabers, and in each generation, a 6th-grade… It’s literally the family of heroes.”
Yrel paused and glanced at Zien.
“Wait, look at this. Are you interested in Lucia?”
“She’s an opponent I have to defeat.”
“Hmm. No other reason?”
Yrel pressed closely to Zien, persistently asking. Of course, he was interested. But it was a different kind of interest. Pale and Sina were comrades from a past life and friends since academy days.
‘Those guys, after all that bickering, in the end…’
Zien smiled faintly. It was a future he would never have known if he had met his end at the 8th-grade gate. Lucia Elquines. Another reason to win the event had just increased.
“Well.”
Yrel stared blankly at the smiling Zien.
* * *
Field trips and cleaning share many similarities, though their purposes differ. If cleaning is about purging monsters for the dungeon’s purification, field trips involve entering dungeons to complete research tasks on specific monsters or to build one’s career through their extermination.
“We’ve cleared them all.”
Zien sat atop the collapsed crystal golem. The transparent 3-meter golem, a 4th-grade difficulty monster, had fallen with its core shattered by the combined attack of Zien and Yrel.